D’AMATO GETS HIS THIRD STAKES WIN & HERNANDEZ HIS SECOND AS IRISH-BRED RHEA MOON ROLLS LATE TO WIN GRADE III, $100,000 AUTUMN MISS STAKES

ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 29, 2022)—Not a bad day. With seven horses entered in three separate stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, Phil D’Amato emerged with three added money victories as his Irish-bred Rhea Moon charged home to take the day’s 10th and final race, the Grade III, $100,000 Autumn Miss Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths. With Juan Hernandez collecting his second stakes win on the day, Rhea Moon got one mile on turf in 1:34.44.

Unhurried in the run to the first turn, Rhea Moon sat seventh in a field of 11, about six lengths off longshot Lucky Girl as the field straightened for their run up the backside. With Hernandez biding his time, Rhea Moon inched into contention mid-way around the far turn, swung five-deep approaching the furlong pole and drew clear while unthreatened by an onrushing Nadette late.

A one mile turf allowance winner on Aug. 21, Rhea Moon, who had two wins from five stateside starts with D’Amato, was off at 6-1 and paid $14.60, $6.60 and $4.60.

Owned by Rockingham Ranch and Talla Racing, LLC, Rhea Moon, in getting her first stakes win, picked up $60,000, increasing her earnings to $191,831. Winless in a pair of starts in Ireland, she’s now 8-3-3-2 overall.

With his biggest win coming with Irish-bred Going Global in the Grade II Goldikova Stakes, D’Amato’s second stakes win on the day came with English-bred Amy C in the ungraded Senator Ken Maddy.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, French-bred Nadette flew from far back to finish second by three quarters of a length over D’Amato’s Kitty Kitana. Off at 5-1, Nadette paid $8.80 and $6.00.

English-bred Kitty Kitana, forwardly placed throughout, was off at 18-1 and paid $8.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.36, 47.36, 1:11.17 and 1:22.97.

Racing resumes with first post time for a 10-race card on the meet’s penultimate Sunday at 1 p.m.